Free Me
by NinjaMatty
Summary: When Deidara goes missing on a mission with Itachi and is finally found 2 years later, what goes on with Sasori and Deidara? Reference to SasoXDei. [Chap4]
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Woah... it's been so long since I've posted a story on this webiste ! So let's see... I don't own Naruto... to bad XD This fict has nothing to do with what you have seen in the manga. The story is different and has nothing to do with the official one.

I'd like to thank Deidaras-girl from DA who took the time to translate this fict from French to English ! She is so patient and talented ! Thank you a lot ! D

Free Me by Matty MacGregor Devory

In an organization called Akatsuki, each new member is assigned to become the partner of another, more experienced member, that they call "danna". I would have though that this expression was stupid, as it is also used as a name that women in Japan call their husbands. There were no female members in the organization, and even if I wasn't happy with this, I found myself becoming the danna of a blonde idiot. He had joined our organization since 3 years ago, at the age of 17. I remember the first time I saw him. He seemed unsure of himself, as though he was still asking himself whether or not joining had been a good idea. A reunion had been announced to find out who would become his danna. Zetsu had taken a step, ready to complete this vital step. Before he could begin the announcement as to who would be his danna, I proclaimed that I would be the new member's master. It wasn't until a second later that I realized what I'd said. Why had I said that when, really, I had no desire to do it? Apparently I wasn't the only one surprised, since everyone turned in my direction. I knew what they were thinking. "Why would this irritable and anti-social man want to accept this job?" It was a very good question, at which I couldn't even answer. Zetsu seemed against the idea that I shuld be the new danna. Somehow, not knowing why, I had the impression that I'd made the right choice.

The blonde had come to present himself to me. His name was Deidara. His idiotic smile made me almost scared and I had the overcoming desire to immediately withdraw from my new title.

After a week, I knew everything about him. It seemed like the only thing he knew to do was to talk. He always commented on something this or something that… Almost as though he thought it interested me. My self-reserved, quiet life took a turn. For someone like me, who loved the peace of silence, was often irritated by his excessive speaking. And he seemed to know it. He always asked me stupid questions that only he could answer. The majority of the time, I consoled myself by just answering with a "mmhmm" or an annoyed sigh, but there were also times when I took the pain to actually answer. This made him happy to no end, and after I had a few moments of peace.

After our first mission together, Deidara had almost killed me! Surely, it wasn't his fault. Ironic how, even when we took the pain to know each other, we ignored our combat styles. I ignored that he attacked the enemies at a distance by making them explode with the help of a few clay birds that he fabricated. I had then found myself between one of his famous creations and an enemy. Bang. My ears rang for a moment and I could've sworn that I was on the edge of tears. If I had been human at that time, I would most certainly have been dead.

After this incident, for reasons I didn't care about, Deidara focused his attention on his bombs and I took care to know where I was when he launched them. As time passed, I got used to him and finally learned to ignore him.

One month after our meeting, Deidara was assigned to a mission with another Akatsuki member. The infamous Itachi Uchiha. I had been told that it was an espionage mission and that the two ninjas who participated had to past through unseen. However, this wasn't the case. A while later, Kisame, Itachi's danna, had explained to me that it was actually an infiltration mission in the heart of a juvenile prostitution organization controlled by enemy ninja that were on the verge of becoming dangerous to Akatsuki. However, many respectable ninja held affinities with this organization and we couldn't take the risk of them allying together against us. The moment that I learned of this, I began to worry for my companion. The entire situation could take a turn for the worst and demanded good experience in a matter of subtlety. You had to be capable to adapt rapidly in the middle of dangerous situations, while at the same time learning as much as possible on enemies. The smallest gesture could reveal the intrusion, and lead to Deidara's death or capture. Ironically, neither Deidara nor Itachi had this experience.

The mission was to last 3 weeks. After 6 weeks without news of them, the two boys were declared as missing. I have to admit, that I was sick with worry. When Leader announced it to us, I immediately asked if we were going to help them somehow. He had hesitated before answering no. He then proceeded to explain by adding that they'd accepted the mission as well as the risks that would come with it. This answer had enraged me. I just couldn't bring myself to relax while knowing that they could have been in danger, particularly Deidara. I knew since the beginning that they shouldn't have accepted the mission. It was too dangerous, even if they were high level ninja.

Two years later, Deidara and Itachi were declared dead. This announcement had particularly disturbed me, because in my heart I knew that they were still alive. Sadly, Leader would not accepted what I'd said when I'd voiced my thoughts and he had told me that with time, I would accept the truth. He then asked me why I worried so much about two people that I knew almost nothing about. It was a good question, but I found myself unable to answer. Come to think of it, ever since I'd met the young blonde, there had been tons of questions that I'd found myself unable to answer.

During the time that I'd been a part of Akatsuki, no one had taken the pain that I felt in to consideration. Not even my ex-partner, Orochimaru. He had betrayed us and I found myself wondering why he had done this, and what he was doing now. With Deidara, it was nothing like this. I'd known him for at most a month and I'd become attached to him without knowing. Yes, he annoyed me with his good mood and his idiot questions, but he had succeeded in making me say more about my past then only God knows. I never spoke about my past. In truth, it was rare for me to say anythinga bout myself. I found that it was unimportant information and I could never figure out how it could interest someone. Deidara was always interested and curious. Without knowing, I had slowly been telling him bits of me and my past. He would listen to me, nodding his head, but always finished by interrupting me to joke around. I would get angry; ignore him for a moment, before continuing what I was saying. If I stopped talking for too long to him then he would whine and leave to a corner, mumbling something about how I was treating him badly. It was a way to make me feel pity for him. I'd never pitied a person… except for him. He always seemed to be the exception to the rules. His large blue eyes seemed teary, on the verge of crying. Each time, I was sure that he'd burst in to tears like a young child. To my delight, it'd never happened. In truth, he'd never actually cried. When I saw him the first time, I would have bet that he was a real baby to cry but I was happy that I'd been wrong for once. Tears always made me feel uncomfortable.

I realized quickly enough that I'd become used to him and now that he wasn't there, there was something missing from me. The room where I would work on my puppets seemed affrontingly silence, without his laughable remarks. Missions were long and annoying, without his constant need to catch my eye. In short, I wasn't whole. Had I been a normal human, I would have probably cried because of Deidara's absence. But that wasn't the case, and so, no tear fell. To avoid thinking about him, I began working even harder on my puppets. I created new weapons and I kept my spirit occupied during this time. For me, it was normal.

Now that Kisame had no partner, he had been sent with Zetsu to guard the surroundings of the hideout. From what I had heard, ninjas from another village had taken shelter in a corner of it. We couldn't permit ourselves to be attacked at this moment. We had to get rid of the possible attackers. Leader had wanted me to join them but I let him know that I wanted nothing to do with it. In truth, I'd practically refused all the missions that he'd proposed to me. The idea of battling side to side with someone other than Deidara didn't tempt me at all. I was in the middle of working nonstop on one of my creations, when the door of my room opened and went flying. I didn't have any time to cry out my indignation when Tobi, a new member recommended by Zetsu, entered. He seemed agitated and he had to repeat what he said 2 times before I could comprehend what he was saying, and that they were in need of my medical talents. Knowing that he would say no more, I left my work to the side and followed him. I ignored what was happening, but it must have been important, as I had to sprint to the situation.

When we arrived in the main hall, Leader signaled me to approach him. I hesitated for a second, asking myself what was happening. Tobi pushed me and I was forced to oblige Leader's order. The first thing that I noticed was that Kisame and Zetsu had returned. It was strange since they'd only just left that morning. Finally I understood their source of agitation. Deidara and Itachi were stretched out on the ground, Zetsu at their side. I noticed that they weren't wearing their Akatsuki clothes, but a kimono. I was on the point of asking myself why they were injured, but then I remembered my duty. They were injured. I headed to Deidara and kneeled down beside him. My stare paused on his face and his long blonde hair. It seemed as though he hadn't aged at all, and in my humble opinion, he seemed even more feminine than 2 years ago. The fact must've had a link to the way his hair was done elaborately or with his clothing. But the way he looked was unimportant. I placed my hand on his forehead and transferred a little bit of my chakra to wake him up. He came to lightly and then mumbled something. I took his wrist gently to measure his pulse. It was weak and I came to the conclusion that they were under the effects of a genjutsu. If it was the case, they'd wake up soon. I repeated the same thing I'd done to Deidara to Itachi and came to the same conclusion. All of this brought to me a whirlpool of confusion and questions – And the answer would come only from the two young ninja. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Kisame explained that they'd found the two men, unconscious, a few kilometers from the Akatsuki hideout. At first he'd thought it was a trap. They'd then checked to make sure there were no traps set up around the parameter. There were none. They had then approached and it had most certainly been Deidara and Itachi. He and Zetsu had then brought them back to the Akatsuki hideout.

I was perplexed after hearing this story. I wasn't questioning Kisame's story, but I questioned myself on the circumstances that could have driven Deidara and Itachi to the state they were in now and to be in that specific area. And why were they wearing kimonos? Seeing them dressed this way, we could have confused them for two young girls. It was troubling. All of this must certainly have had a link with the infiltration mission at the prostitution center. A though formed in my head that forced me to push it back in vain. What if they had ended up being the victims? Had they had no choice but to be victims if they didn't want to lose their cover? That would thus explain the long period of time with no news of their progress.

I shook my head. It was impossible. In spite of their appearances, Deidara and Itachi were very good ninjas. They could not have been forced to do this. Then why…? No reason came to me. I was thus condemned to await their awakening to know some more.

Deidara stirred again fifty minutes later. Meanwhile, I had moved him to my room and laid him on my bed. I had benefited from the time he had been asleep to examine him and check for any extra wounds I'd missed. Fortunately, he had only some bruises and a few scratches. All his bones seemed in place. I was certain that my assessment would remain about in there when I pushed back the hair which fell in front of his left eye. I discovered with horror that he'd had his left eye taken out. When his eyelid was lowered, it was almost impossible to notice. Unfortunately, I'd seen other situations like this and I had easily realized the damage there. Ironically, the wound was clean and not infected. It seemed to have been made approximately one year ago. I did not even dare to imagine the pain that he must've gone through. By respect, I place his blonde strands so that they recovered the half of his face. It was at this moment that I saw him twitch his fingers slightly. I moved back a step, knowing not knowing how he would react in my presence. All remained calm during one moment, then his valid eye opened. Without knowing why, I retained my breath. I looked at each of his movements which turned from the attention to see where he was to a state of shock.

Deidara's right hand paused on his forehead then lightly pushed back wicks of hair slightly. He scanned the ceiling, probably wondering where he was. He sat down, then his glance fell on me. Ten seconds passed as we stared at each other. I didn't know what to do nor say. "Sasori-danna…?"

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First chapter done ! Thank you very much for reading !


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Second chapter is here ! I wanna thank you everybody who has reviewed my fict ! It's so nice of you ! I would have never thought that people would like my fict ! I'm happy to see that it's not as crappy as I thought it was ! Thanks everybody and thank you to Deideras-girl from DA who translates this fict for me ! You rock !_

_Thanks to :_ Yuuhi Kurenai, Morbid Fantasia, Coordinator-Girl, Moredi, kay kay and Deidaras-Girl. _I hope you will like this new chapter.__  
Oh and in case you didn't know, I don't own Naruto _

Free Me by Matty MacGregor Devory  
Chapter 2

My name was the first word that he said. Without knowing why, that made my heart burn. "Wh-what's happening…un? Where am I, un? Where's Itachi-kun?"

Hearing him use that suffix for Itachi surprised me. No one had ever treated the young Ichiha like their equal. Deidara fixed his gaze on me, waiting for me to answer his questions.

"You no longer recognize this place? You're at the Akatsuki's hideout."

Deidara looked around with an unconvinced air.

"What REALLY happened in truth, un?" I sighed in exasperation. Had he forgotten to what point I detested conversations?

"It's me who should be asking you that question."

He looked at me, not comprehending what I'd said. Was he acting stupid on purpose?

"Deidara," I started slowly, long pauses between each word. "What happened during the mission? Why didn't you give any sign of life during two years?"

His expression changed gradually. He turned his gaze and fixed it on the wall for a moment. His silence concerned me. Not long ago, he would have thrown in a long and detailed explanation on what had happened to him.

I was on the point of telling him to forget my question when he spoke:

"Infiltrating the organization wasn't very difficult, un. The problem was that it was a lot bigger than we had imagined. Way too big and complicated for Itachi and I, un. We were lost in there and inside without even noticing, un! We knew that we couldn't do any thing to reveal our identity. We were constantly surrounded by atrociously powerful ninja who could have killed us in no time. We were then constrained to make like the others in that place."

He seemed uneasy suddenly, not knowing really if I knew what he was stalking about. Of course I understood what he was saying, and I suspected that he had doubted my understanding since the beginning. I told him to continue; even though I wasn't sure I wanted him to. "Happily we had the chance not to be too bad looking and we were treated better by others, un. Sasori-danna, do you know what geisha are?"

His question really surprised me. I couldn't see why he would ask me that, but I shook my head. Before he could have the time to continue his explanation, something he had told me a long time ago came back to me. It was during a mission. I'd asked him all casually why he looked so feminine. He could have taken it badly, but he'd burst in to laughter and had made me promise never to say what he was going to tell me. I'd agreed to this while rolling my eyes. Who would be interested by that anyways? He then began a story about his childhood. At 10 years old he had to left the family house after having accidentally exploded his brother and sister. Having no where to go, he'd wandered from his village until fatigue took him over. When he awoke he had been in the company of a rather aged woman; a geisha. Having pitied the kid, she had taken him to her house. She had taken care of him like she was his mother. Deidara should not have been at this place, but his adoptive "mother" had put a kimono on him and he'd passed as a geisha. Apparently it played its part well, because nobody suspected that he was not a girl. He'd told me while laughing and adding that he wasn't to take off his kimono. I had found it idiotic, but did not say anything.

"What's your point?"

He must've just realized what I was thinking, because he hadn't began talking again.

"I had succeeded in proving that I knew how to act like a geisha, so the superiors of the organization were nicer with me. Itachi-kun had said the same thing and I succeeded in teaching him the basics, un. Inevitably, he exceeded me in skill. The customers preferred him because he was less vulgar and more docile. I thus collected with the least wanted. I tried attacking one man once and I left an eye, un."

Using his left hand, Deidara showed me his eye to prove that what he was saying was true. I'd already seen the wound but hearing him speak about it made me feel bad. The poor kid had lived through hell during two years and I couldn't find anything to say. Comforting people had never been my strength. I answered with my usual "mmhmm". I knew that he needed to be reassured, but I wasn't capable of doing it.

A heavy silence fell in the room. Deidara, who was sitting on my bed, stared at an invisible point on the ground. His legs were folded up under him and his hands rested on his knees. Long strands of hair escaped from the pieces of fabric that kept it on top of his head. Despite everything, he took on a rather noble form in the pale blue kimono and nobody would have ever suspected that he was a strong and skilled ninja.

I had to acknowledge the fact that I was impressed by Itachi and Deidara. They had resisted for almost two years the aggressions without revealing who they really were. Personally, I would have never been capable of doing this. I would have decapitated the first one who touched me. In a sense, it could be that the two younger men were better ninja than me.

Deidara stopped my thoughts as he rose. He put his sandals on and approached me. Because of the large shoes, he was able to stand at my height and I could look him in the eyes. His stare was indescribable and that disturbed me lightly. Not long ago, I could have read him like an open book. Then, as though nothing had happened, he gave me a large smile. The kind of smile that he would have given me before asking a stupid question. Not knowing why, my heart seemed less heavy and I smiled weakly in return.

"I'm really happy to see you again, Sasori-danna, un! I have to tell you that I missed you!"

"I missed you too, Deidara"

I wasn't even going to admit to him that I was sick with worry during his absence. That would probably have given him great joy to know, but it wasn't like me to reveal my feelings. It was already enough to have admitted that I'd missed him. But still, I had told him a part of the truth.

"Do you know if Itachi-kun has awoken yet, un?"

"I don't know. He must be with his danna."

He bowed slightly in front of me then left my room. I stared at the door for a few moments before sighing and dropping on the bed. A great feeling of relief invaded me. Deidara was back and all was going to return to normal. I was going to be able to start again and do missions with him.

I would never have thought that something like this could be so hard. Indeed, less than one week after the return of the two young men, Deidara and I had the mission of tracking and destroying an enemy group of ninjas. For Akatsuki members, it was nothing difficult. The problem thus did not come from me but from my young companion who had not done anything for the last two years. His level of chakra had decreased and we had to make pauses almost every hour. I saw that he felt guilty to have to slow down our pace and I knew that it wasn't at all his fault. Then it came - the hour of combat. Deidara, who had already lost a lot of energy, barely missed being killed 3 times. He had trouble exploding his enemy and received a few kunai under the rib cage and in the shoulder. I was then obliged to take the job of killing our enemies as well as to protect Deidara. One of my puppets ended up being broken, but nothing more. When all the ninjas were dead on the ground, I undertook the duty of healing Deidara. He hadn't said a word during the entire trip, something that was especially strange about him.

On the trail to return, an abundant rain began to fall. I decided to take a break so that my companion could regain his energy. He refused, but ended up yielding, and went to sit down away from me. For the first time, I saw him cry.

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_Seconder chapter is done Thank you very much for reading ! The third chapter will probably be posted next week !_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Hey ! Third chapter's finally online ! Sorry, it took more than one week ' I just didn't feel like editing the new chapter and posting it... bah I'm so lazy XD_

_Once again, I have to thank everybody who has taken the time to read and rewiew my fict. You guys all made my day I'm so happy that you like this story ! I was sure it would be flamed xX_

_Special thanks to : _Aurora Maryte, A-dragon's-beautiful-rose, FuriousDeragonmaji, Coordinator-Girl, kay kay, Morbid Fantasia and Deidaras-Girl_ (who also takes the time to translate this fict )_

_Well, I hope you will enjoy this new chapter _

Free Me by Matty MacGregor Devory

Chapter 3

With our return to headquarters, I had to make a report on our mission to Leader. When I told him that Deidara had been injured and that was the reason that they'd taken longer than usual, he'd sighed. He told me that I should've left him and had concentrated only on the mission. I answered Leader that he would've been stupid to lose an Akatsuki member for a reason so futile, and that Deidara would do better the text time. Leader hated being contradicted, but he said nothing. And it was a good thing he hadn't said anything back, since I was in a very bad mood. I left his office, groaning. I was angry against Deidara because Leader had scolded me because of him .I was frustrated because my clothes were drenched and I had the impression of smelling like a wet dog. And it enraged me to see that I had to repair one of my puppets.

Since I didn't have to sleep, the nights passed by with me inventing new poisons or creating new weapons. Sometimes I would get extremely bored and I'd then leave at dawn to watch the sunrise. No one had wind of what I did and it was much better that way. I wouldn't want people to believe that Sasori was nostalgic.

That morning, when I left, how surprised I was when I saw Deidara was already outside; him who had the tendency to sleep in extremely late. Apparently, he hadn't noticed my presence so I stayed and observed him. I guessed that he was probably training throughout the entire night. He knew that Leader wouldn't accept the least bit of weakness on his part. I laughed slightly as I saw the kunai that he'd launched miss the target by a good twenty centimeters. He had a lot of catching up to do.

A month passed with nothing really happening. We had small, unimportant missions once in a while, but never anything actually challenging. I'd heard that Itachi had also had difficulty on his first mission and Deidara seemed comforted to hear it. His confidence and moral had dropped and his depression was getting on my nerves. He trained until the point of exhaustion, but the results weren't yet complete. His battle strategies were null and he could've passed as a low class ninja.

"Sasori-danna, un… I really suck don't I?"

Had I been sincere I would've said yes, but I wanted to encourage him a bit.

"Of course not, Deidara. You'll get better."

Those simple words seemed to raise his moral and the joyful and jumpy boy that I knew came back. I was delighted a little. Funny how he improved a lot more, suddenly after what I'd said.

At a certain moment after a mission that I'd completed with Zetsu, he'd asked me a strange question:

"What do you feel for _blondie_, eh?"

I was lightly surprised by the nickname he'd used to designate Deidara. With time I learned that the nickname was not pejorative as the young kid in question seemed to believe it.

To answer the question I didn't even need to think about it. I felt nothing more than a friendship for Deidara. Or perhaps even less. I had difficulty with understanding my feelings, but I was certain that I felt about him the same way as I felt towards Itachi. Zetsu seemed surprised by my answer and I had no desire to explain it.

A while later I discovered that he tried by all means of approaching Deidara. By asking me that question, he wanted to be certain that I would not be an obstacle. I could have been an obstacle, but not in the way he seemed to think. Several thought that I had no heart, and perhaps it was true, However, I would not let anybody hurt my companion. I had in vain sometimes wished his death to be in peace, I never thought about him really and I probably should've protected him with my life. I was, however, not able to describe our relation. I considered him a bit like a child on the street who needed protection. I believe that I tested a certain pity towards him which pushed me by always supervising him to avoid misfortunes towards him. It was nothing more.

I learned later on that Zetsu had tried to misuse Deidara while I'd left on a mission with Tobi. Of course, the light-haired boy denied it all. I was however not idiotic and Itachi assured me that all was true. I was unaware of why Deidara had lied. Perhaps he was afraid of what I would think of him. In the days which followed he remained as close as possible to me and avoided speaking with Zetsu. I would have liked to interfere with the problem but I didn't want to create war within the organization. As long as the situation didn't happen again, I was going to hold back.

It'd rained the entire day and Deidara and I were soaked. There was no shelter until many kilometers farther, so we'd been doomed to continue, in spite of the temperature. I was in a bad mood that day, not really knowing why. The smallest thing seemed to get on my nerves and I would've killed any shinobi that I'd find on the trail. Happily, my companion seemed to notice and was kind enough not to open his mouth. I believe that him talking would have been sufficient enough for me to hit him.

The main goal of Akatsuki was to capture the nine Jinchuuriki that ran free in the world. A Jinchuuriki was the spirit of a demon enclosed in the body o f a human and was an almost unstoppable and unending source of chakra. We already had two in our possession.

Our second goal was to assure that no one came to disturb our primary goal. Or else there'd be someone who risked hurting the organization more and more. This person was my old partner, Orochimaru, who'd betrayed us a few years earlier. I ignored why he'd left, but I was certain that it had something to do with the fact that he wanted immortality. I knew that his power resided in numerous jutsus that he'd learned to misuse. To vanquish him, you had to prevent him from using them. It wasn't an easy job. Orochimaru had many defaults but he wasn't an idiot. He didn't trust anyone and was very hard to approach. During our mission to different villages, we tried collecting information on him. It was something that was definitely not evident. He didn't leave any traces behind him and killed anyone who could have betrayed him. We were waiting for the first mistake that he would make to use it against him.

Then came the famous day. Zetsu had heard a conversation between two associates of Orochimaru located in the country of Fire. It taught us whereas my former companion had found a way of reaching immorality. I was surprised. I was unaware that one could really be immortal… except in my case. After hearing this precious information, Zetsu had continued to seek information on this famous technique. It consisted in fact to transfer one's spirit from a living body to another one. Orochimaru wanted to thus transfer all its knowledge and techniques in to a younger body. It was not what I regarded as immortal, but it was disconcerting in spite of all. We learned later, by chance, that the boy who would receive the spirit of Orochimaru was called Sasuke Uchiha of Konoha. A strange gleam had appeared in the eyes of Itachi when he'd heard this news. This famous Sasuke was his little brother. He thought on what could happen to Sasuke. He didn't want to have to affront Orochimaru if he too had the Sharingans. And I understood it.

It would have been impossible for us to kill Sasuke, because he had already joined the rows of my former companion. Which posted a problem for us. And if Orochimaru had already taken possession of the body of the young man? The older brother of the subject told us that Sasuke was still too weak and that we had a bit more time. We had to find a method to approach Orochimaru. Something that seemed to be an impossible task. A spy from the hidden village of Rain then came and offered a solution. I knew that Orochimaru h ad a weakness for young boys. It had to be the reason why he had taken the young Uchiha under his wing even if he'd been weak. The spy confirmed that Orochimaru came to the hidden village of Rain to relieve his prohibited impulses. There was a place in this village where young men sold themselves for money. A place that was frequented very often by a certain ninja that wanted to eliminate us.

Now that he was in possession of this information, Leader got rid of the spy. He didn't want to take the risk that he may betray us. He then organized a reunion at the reference mark in order to inform us of the news. He also wanted us to find a way to entre the place that was frequented by Orochimaru.

"So it will be less complicated if one of us infiltrated this place?" Kisame, who had been silent for a while, suggested.

"And which one of us do you want to do it? I can't see you going to see Orochimaru, passing as a young boy of 10 years," replied Zetsu

"Idiot… I hadn't said it would be me! I had actually thought about…"

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_Third chapter is now done I hope you liked it and I'll try to update the story as soon as possible ! _


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Here is chapter four I may repeat myself but thanks to everybody who takes the time to read and review this fict ! You all make my day _

_In case you didn't know, Naruto doesn't belong to me XD_

Free Me by Matty MacGregor Devory

Chapter 4

All the stares fell on Deidara who was sitting beside me. His expression changed and he began to panic.

"W-what! Why me, un!"

"Do you see anyone else who's capable of doing it?"

"But…" he hesitated and stared at the floor. "Couldn't we use a boy who is already there, un?"

"Orochimaru can see through any jutsu. He'd find out right away"

"He'll know right away that I'm part of Akatsuki, un!"

"No." I said to him. "He's never seen you."

He was about to retort but saw that it was useless and lowered his head while sighing.

"Why not Itachi-kun, un?"

The young man in question threw a death glare at him.

"He'd recognize me right away. He's already met me."

Deidara sighed once again.

"Fine, fine, un… I'll do it…! But I don't want to stay there all alone in the village with that pervert, un!"

"Sasori and Zetsu will accompany you. And we'll send Itachi and Kisame if you have any problems," Leader said and signaled for us to leave.

Once we were outside, my partner began complaining how it was unfair and that all the bad things always happened to him. I understood him a bit. I wouldn't have liked being in his place.

"Deidara, you have no choice, You, and you alone, are the only one that is about the standards of Orochimaru."

He pouted and looked disapointed.

"I thought you'd agree with me, Sasori-danna, un."

"I didn't say that I wasn't agreeing with you. It's sad that everything falls on you, but you are the only one who looks young enough not to attract attention. And anyways, you're the only one that Orochimaru hasn't met."

He sighed and shook his head.

"I understand, un."

"You don't have to worry. You won't be alone."

What I said seemed to reassure him.

The hidden village of Rain was a 4 days trip by foot from our headquarters. We profited from the time to concoct a plan. It was nothing complicated, but we couldn't neglect the smallest detail. The life of Deidara could be in danger if we did.

We separated at the entrance of the village. My young companion was nervous. He was dressed in the kimono that he'd been wearing when Kisame had found him in the forest, a few months ago and he had done up his hair in an odd manner. I wouldn't be able to know that he was 20 and not 15 the way he looked. Or was he really 15 years old and had lied? Anyway.

He threw me an uncertain glance. I could read the fear in his eyes. He must've been thinking of the old mission like this that'd taken a turn for the worst. But this time would be different. He wasn't alone. Zetsu reassured him the best he could and I was happy just to stay silent. I didn't know what to say.

A few minutes later, he left in the opposite direction as us. An odd feeling bothered me and I guessed that it was worry. I was afraid for Deidara's safety, but I couldn't think of anything to do about it. He'd accepted the mission and had to finish it. I knew that he'd succeed.

Zetsu and I decided to stay in a poor inn at the other side of the village. Few visitors passed by there, reducing the risks that someone would recognize us.

The first part of the mission consisted of gaining information. It was Deidara's part. He was to discreetly raise questions in order to know as much as possible about what Orochimaru did. We had decided that in one week I would visit him so that he could tell me what he'd learned. The continuation of the mission would depend on that. If we had a precise date for the arrival of my former companion, we had to warn the other members of Akatsuki. If not, we were to arrange ourselves to know where his headquarters or what his plans were. If, at the end of one month, there was no news, we would return to the Akatsuki Headquarters and that would mean that our spy had lied.

From our side, the first day passed quickly. We'd explored the village to have the advantage of knowing the terrain in case of a fight. We had also collected information on ninja that lived there to avoid conflict between us. No one seemed to recognize us. To the eyes of the people who passed by, we were probably only two tourists that were a bit strange.

"Hey old man, do you think that _blondie_ will be ok?" Zetsu asked me once we'd returned to the inn.

I groaned. I'd well approached 50 years old, I hated being called that.

"Yes," I answered simply, hoping to have peace and quiet after.

"You're sure? He didn't seem very confident earlier."

"Would you feel confident in his place?"

"Probably not."

I didn't answer and merely shrugged my shoulders. I believed that he'd leave me alone, but he began speaking again.

"What is there between you two, truthfully?"

I stopped walking and looked him straight in the eyes. His stare could have made anyone run, but not me.

"What did you say?"

"What sort of relationship do you have, you and him?"

"There's nothing between us, if that's what you want to know," I declared and I began walking again.

"That's not what I heard…"

"I don't know what you may have heard, it was totally false."

"But…"

"Why do you want to know anyways?"

He didn't answer me.

"I don't think that Deidara's interested in you. He isn't the type to appreciate those who don't respect him."

He didn't speak to me again the rest of the night and it was a good thing.

If I could have slept, the question that Zetsu had asked me would have kept me waked. Because I had nothing better to do, I began asking myself why he'd asked that question. I was almost certain that he was attracted to Deidara, but I couldn't see why he was obliged to consider me as an obstacle. I then came to asking myself why Zetsu believed that there was something between Deidara and I. He was my companion that I could count on and that I would've given my life for. Nothing more. I didn't find him particularly attractive or interesting. He was kind and serviceable, I couldn't deny that.

The week passed quickly enough. I always found something someway or another to occupy myself. Zetsu passed his days in the village, as he preferred being outside than in the security of the inn. It was better like that, as we could avoid quarrelling.

The day of my meeting with Deidara came. I wasn't able to say why, but I was apprehending what I risked learning. I apprehended seeing him again even more. I had been worried for 5 days. I asked myself what state he was in.

I walked towards the place where he was, replaying the plan in my head. He didn't have the right to leave the territory of the whore house so I had to enter it normally and not infiltrate it like an S-Class Criminal Ninja. I had to pretend to be a man in search of a young boy. I found this role disgusting and would've preferred leaving it to Zetsu. Unfortunately, Deidara had insisted that it be me to come and I was unable to refuse him.

The place seemed to be a tidy and ordinary house. The terrain was fenced and guarded; probably so the things that went on inside weren't visible to the world.

I was slightly nervous but no one would've been able to know. I approached the door with a resolute expression. A ninja stopped me, stared at me for a long moment, and then let me enter. If I'd used a jutsu to modify my appearance he probably would have killed me. At least, he would have tried.

In front of me stretched a long corridor with multiple doors, then stairs at the end. I hesitated, not knowing what direction to take. A man in his 30s seemed to appear out of no where and began walking towards me, smiling like an idiot. He didn't seem dangerous so I held back. He took my hand in his and shook it energetically.

"Hello, and welcome! Tell me what you want and I'll do my best to get it for you!"

I was surprised by his joyous attitude. You would've thought him to be a waiter who brought a menu to you in a restaurant instead of a dirty man who used children to make profits. He seemed to notice my discomfort and smiled.

"Don't be shy! What kind of boy do you like?"

I had no trouble in giving a description of Deidara:

"Long blonde hair, slightly feminine, smiling and with a dark look."

He stopped smiling and looked a bit more stressed.

"We have a young boy that corresponds to your criteria… But you risk not appreciating him."

"Why?"

"He is pretty but he had an accident and is missing an eye… It doesn't show much anyways… But he's also very vulgar and he always fights back, so I keep him for clients that seem less great than you."

"It's fine with me, it's him I want."

"I wouldn't want you to think that we offer bad merchandise…"

"I'll go elsewhere then."

I was about to leave but he grabbed me violently by the arm. I had to control myself so I didn't hit him.

"Okay, don't leave! I only wanted to warn you…! I'll go find him. Don't move!"

He let go of my arm and disappeared behind a door. I couldn't help but sigh. I'd been afraid that he would insist on me having someone else. The man returned with Deidara, his hand holding Deidara's arm roughly and he seemed to be threatening him. Deidara wasn't really listening and had a surprised expression when he saw me. The man let him in front of me.

"Here. He meets your expectations I hope, sir?"

---

_Done _


End file.
